This post was inspired by a video from photographer Greg Howard called 20 B&W Photos and Why I Shot Them.

In the video, Greg presents 20 black and white photos he has recently taken and talks through the process of what captured his attention, and how he turned the initial impulse into a composition that would reflect what he was trying to achieve. He then explains how he decides which images are ‘keepers’ that may be included in his current collection of work.

Greg is strongly of the opinion that seeing what caught a photographer’s eye and watching how they turned that initial attraction into a composition, is more important when learning photography than hearing about the camera, lens or settings that were used.  

I recommend this video to anyone who wants to improve their photography practice as Greg explains his content in an easy-to-understand manner and provides some excellent images to illustrate his points.

In my post I will not attempt to give advice, but I do think there is value for all of us in talking though what it is that catches our attention and working out how to turn that impulse into a composition. The process of doing this helps us to understand our own taste, identify the recurring themes in our photography, and gives us insight as to how we decide what will be our keepers.

Before I began to choose 10 of my recent photos, I considered what subjects and themes might emerge.

I tend to look out for examples of light hitting a subject and for strong contrast. I like detailed shots, but also wide shots with a single person in the distance. I like old things, unusual items, and I would probably include a tree or two! I like using natural frames and I love to photograph boats.

I then looked for 10 recent examples.

Why not look back at some of your recent images and see if you can identify why you shot them.